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!

It is a very outdoorsy place.

Anglesey Pursuits or Plaes Menai Outdoor Activity Centre - Kayaking, rafting, coasteering or that sort of thing?

Rib ride?

Beaumaris Castle and Goal?

Drive to Llandudno for an old fashioned seaside experience. There is a cable car and a tramway, and a pier.

I went to North Wales last October in lieu of not going to Greece.

Did Portmerion, Caernarfon, Anglesey, the zip line at Bethesda among many other things. The weather was shit but we had an amazing time.

Angelsey is so busy that you need to pre-book. There are quite a few nice restaurants you just need to google it to find the good ones.

There is pony tracking, coasteering, the stepping stones, lots of beautiful bays. Beaumaris is a lovely place. Newborough beach is gorgeous and the South Stack lighthouse is lovely. Penmon also lovely for a picnic.

You can get speed boats from Menai, Beaumaris and Holyhead. You can see puffins and seals. Or go on the velocity boat for a super fast trip.

There is Plas Newydd stately home.

Crazy golf at Anglesey sea zoo.

Paddle boarding in a few places including in the mainland at the bottom of Snowden. See psyched paddle boarding.

Do some homework rather than moan. There is a lot you can do if you look.

Anglesey is a fantastic place. I will say that the weather was pants yesterday but today has been gorgeous.

Do the rib rides in Menai bridge if they're still running. It's like a speedboat for around 8-12 people. Think there's a tour with puffins. Great for teens

Zip line over slate mine in Bangor

Climb snowdon. On a nice day that is great

I love Anglesey and North Wales but generally the weather is shit!

We went for a week when the dses were very small and had one half dry day. We didn’t go away again for 2 years.

So ove the menai bridge, Caenarfon castle, copper mine in Beddgelert (sp) is awesome, Snowdon via train or walking, aber falls, Conwy castle, Llandudno and the Great Orme…..

These have all probably been said but I was lazy and didn’t read all of the posts😳

@Hemsbyboc

Great. The only place to eat in the village stops serving food at half 8. Don't tell me this is better than the biggest shithole in Spain

Where on Anglesey are you?

Starida are running boat trips from Beaumaris starida.co.uk They do fishing trips as well which may interest the teens. South Stack lighthouse is also worth a visit.

OP
I would go home. We have always holidayed in the uk but when we went in May we had the shittest weather and there was nothing to do.

We had a teenager with us too and it was just a waste of money!

I absolutely love Anglesey and Wales, but this is not a holiday I would book for two teenagers. My teenager is coming to Pembrokeshire with us camping this summer, and he will enjoy the beaches a little and the campfire but I fully expect him to choose sitting in the van over some longer hikes. If we didn't have more excited younger children I would choose a city break, somewhere with an indoor waterpark/theme park/museums/street art/street food etc

We have had many many amazing family days out all across the UK from areas of outstanding natural beauty like mountains, cliffs, waterfalls and lakes to theme parks, museums and music festivals. I can't get my head around a teenager never leaving their home city. I sincerely hope it is London you live or somewhere multicultural with a vast amount of attractions and events.

Where do you live? North? South? Although I know Wales is beautiful, there are other places I'd prefer to go in the UK. I like being near the coast or countryside but I also like places that have some life, especially with children.

This wouldn't be everyone's choice but we love going to Eastbourne. For us, it has everything. Two and a half hour drive so the toddler can't get too bored. There's a lovely hotel on the seafront we always go back to with views over Beachy Head. Lots of nice pubs and restaurants nearby and nothing too pricey. Beautiful walks over the South Downs within a 10 min drive. Loads for families and children in and around Eastbourne. Would highly recommend for a family holiday.

@Hemsbyboc

Great. The only place to eat in the village stops serving food at half 8. Don't tell me this is better than the biggest shithole in Spain

I get you're disappointed with your holiday, but no need to insult the island. Has it not occurred to you that people reading this might live there?

I love Anglesea!

Dress for the weather then

• newborough sands
• ty coch inn (North Wales but not on anglesea but worth the drive) - one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (and I’ve seen a lot)
• watersports - hire stuff
• eating at the oyster catcher and freckled angel (don’t know if too late to book now)
• we visited Amlwch, lovely harbour, if interested in industrial/history
• museum in Holyhead
• boat tours (pretty sure there are some by Menai strait)
• it is quite a ‘famous’ place for trying crabbing

If your kids more interested “thrill seeking” then travel to north Wales and previously mentioned zipworld or glasfryn park where there is wakeboards/ paddleboards/ fishing/ go karts/ golf/archery
Snowdon walk up or take train - they can’t not be amazed by taking a train up a mountain?
Greenwood forest park is ace “theme park” day out but your kids maybe too old - I’d still go without my kids I love it!
Dragon raiders activity park for quad bikes/ Segway/ paint ball
There is a beautiful stretch of railway in north Wales too, from Bala
Llandegla mountain bike trails (can hire bikes)
Llangollen and Dinas Bran one of my favourite places, also in Llangollen the aqueduct there is amazing (google it!)

Then there are the zoo/aquariums if they are open.

Get an English Heritage and a National Trust membership and try the north east. You will more than get your money’s worth. My boys love it. Coastal walks, ruined castles, not so ruined castles, hermitages, stately homes, churches, Roman museums, Hadrian’s Wall, amazing mining museum, Lindisfarne, islands, puffins and boat trips, Angel of the North, amazing second hand book shop, Harry Potter..... and all the usual swimming pools, bowling alleys, cinemas, theatres etc.

This on the mainland

https://www.zipworld.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAjwoNuGBhA8EiwAFxomA5eDqiImCKTI1ebGHTby-jdCmvTO4lootmHlLWFrj21yWfZwbwPnhoCLjkQAvDD_BwE

Go home. Wales doesn't deserve to have to put up with you.

I can't believe that in 15 years, you have NEVER been to another city in the UK. That's crazy!
You're bringing your DC up in a country you know nothing about??
Have you never taken your kids to London?
If you live in London, have you never taken them to the seaside for a day out? Or jumped on a train and gone to say Bristol, or Brighton?
No wonder they are bored, they don't know what to do!
Do you not know what your DC like to do? What is your favourite family board game? What movies do you like to binge watch all together? What food do you all like to cook and eat?

Early teens will easily return to kids once on a beach with a bucket and spade. Dig a hole, Have a sand castle war, play football/cricket, make a trench, draw pictures in the sand, build rock/stone sculptures, have a family photo competition (funniest pic/weirdest pic - filters allowed etc etc).
You need to show them how to have a good time. If you start building something on a beach, they will join in. If you sit around saying how bored you are, so will they.

I’m not an outdoors sports in the rain kind of person either @Hemsbyboc and wouldn’t enjoy that type of holiday. I agree with pp who have suggested going to Liverpool or Manchester where it’s a bit livelier for teenagers.

@Redtartanshoes
my son is 17, we’ve been going to Wales by choice for the last four years

yes he has ASD but he is nt weird or strange thank you. He will happily indulge me a trip to a castle, he likes to climb the towers for the view, because he knows there will be a rib ride later on, or a trip to the arcade. He knows he will get a chance to surf or body board, paddle board or some other adventure activity. We both like a bit of down time, I read, he plays on his phone. Its a holiday for both of us which means compromise. I’m quite sure there are many teens like him out there.

@Hemsbyboc

Yes it is beautiful here. But what is the plenty to do without going back to the mainland? Other than walk around and shiver on the beach?

@Hemsbyboc - Where on Anglesey are you?

Sounds like the issue is the weather

I think holidays are overrated generally but if you don't get sun, it's really bad

I love Wales, I think the countryside and coast are stunning. but have only been last minute so we knew it would be sunny.

If you would spend less and enjoy more by going home, I would do that.

Fishing , you can buy telescopic rods that are cheap enough to be used on holiday, you can buy barbless hooks and past experience says definitely do this unless you can cadge a disgorger off another fisherman ! You probably won't catch anything, the fish have a knack of nicking the bait off barbless hooks, but its fun trying.

Crabbing, any harbours near by ?, we buy cheap tins of mackeral or streaky bacon for this, and get the decent drop nets and don't forget to hold on when you chuck it in . Crabbing takes up at least an hour, there will be other families doing the same, usually what happens is the parents take over and the kids play amongst themselves.

Rockpooling , this can take up hours, bucket and net is all that is required, there is always that one pool with the 'massive' super fast fish that you have to join forces with a dog walker and another family to catch.

Rock balancing, see who can build the biggest stack, DS is too cool for this until I start to get a decent sized one going and then he can't help but join in.

Looking for heart shaped stones on the beach, its suprising how many there are

Looking for sea glass, this can take a while too if you are quite specific about the quality

14/16 in the UK I did a diving course and loved it. Get an OS map and learn how to plan a route with the kids - a lot of adventure in a hike. Get body boards and leave them at the cottage for the next family?

Cook/bake together.
Let the kids play on their phones and snuggle up for a movie indoors or do something they don’t normally get to do like have donuts for breakfast. That sort of thing is super fun on its own.

I always got a little more independence which was its own reward as a kid but I was more country savvy and we often holidayed in the deepest north west coast Scotland in October where there weren’t any strangers to be dangerous, just bogs.

Also fossil hunting is fine at 14 - you get a hammer.

Dress up warm.

Don’t your kids want to dig a really big hole in sand?

Oh I love stately homes too, but if your teens aren't interested - I wasn't at that age - it's no fun.

@Ted27 I’ve got a cat that can tap dance… doesn’t mean they all can 😂

@Ostara212

Sounds like the issue is the weather

I think holidays are overrated generally but if you don't get sun, it's really bad

I love Wales, I think the countryside and coast are stunning. but have only been last minute so we knew it would be sunny.

If you would spend less and enjoy more by going home, I would do that.

Weather on Anglesey is 18 degrees and sunny from tomorrow through to Wednesday and then warms up a touch for the weekend. That is not bad weather.